


Meeting Smile After Smile

by spirithorse



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, Prince Sorey, patissier Mikleo, secret santa gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 18:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13082943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: He settled into a pattern, swirling the pink and lilac frosting into the shape of a princessia to the steady sound of the ice cream churn. It wasn’t the usual background music of the shop, Lailah usually had the radio playing, although it was a toss-up between classical music and pop. Either way it didn’t matter, she would be bouncing around the kitchen humming and singing along to either. Still, that was the rhythm of the morning, this was the rhythm of the patisserie at night. It was quieter, more like peaceful days beside a stream instead of a babbling brook. Mikleo wouldn’t trade either of them, but he couldn’t help but look forward to the nights.





	Meeting Smile After Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pastelgabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelgabby/gifts).



> This was written for the Tales of Zestiria Secret Santa that was set up. I got Gabby, so the only clear choice was her favorite AU of patissier Mikleo/Prince Sorey.

Mikleo didn’t bother to look up as he heard the door to the kitchen open; there were only a few people it could be after all. Lailah had long since finished her work and swept out for a night on the town. She had invited him to go with her, but Mikleo had turned her down. There were still a few more things he wanted to get done, just to stay ahead of their constant flow of orders. Besides, he wouldn’t be alone. He would get a visitor as soon as it got dark.

He turned his head slightly as he heard someone walking through the far side of the kitchen. Mikleo dropped his head, trying to hide his smile. He rolled his shoulders and went back to focusing on the piping. He needed to get the cake done to be ready for delivery in the morning. Princess Alisha would have to sit through various different public appearances to celebrate her birthday. She might as well have a cake that she would enjoy after all of that.

Mikleo paused at the end of a carefully piped vine, leaning back to breathe out a sigh of relief. He smiled as he found himself pressed back against a sturdy chest. Mikleo was tempted to tip his head back and lean further into the person behind him, but that would definitely prove to be a distraction. He had to finish the cake before he did anything else.

He adjusted his hold on the piping back, nodding off in one direction. “It’s all set up if you want to start churning.”

Mikleo shivered at the barely there kiss to the back of his neck that came as an answer. It might have been just a short brush, but it burned even before the person moved away. Mikleo swallowed and focused on doing the next section of vines. To his left, he could hear the sound of the old ice cream churn being worked.

It was an original, something that both he and Lailah had spotted while they had been walking around the antiques fair one day. Lailah had wanted it because she was adamant that hand churned ice cream tasted better. Mikleo had just loved the carvings on it. It must have been very old because there were little prayers to various seraphim for blessings on the ice cream, the maker and those who ate it. Mikleo had laughed the first time he had seen it, because he doubted that the Great Lord Maotelus regularly enjoyed ice cream, but he wouldn’t judge. Sometimes he felt like praying to all the seraphim, regardless of their powers, just to get him through the day. Baking was an exacting and finicky art. A hand from the seraphim wouldn’t go amiss, especially when they had five separate orders due in quick succession and one of their ovens not cooking to temperature.

Mikleo frowned, focusing on carefully drawing in the next vine. He snaked it up the side of the cake, looping and curling it until he could connect it to the other set of vines. Mikleo leaned back, letting out a slow breath before reaching out for the next piping bag. Lailah had already completed the vines and princessias on the other side before he had offered to take over.

He turned the cake slightly to see how Lailah had done the delicate pink flowers, nodding to himself. It was just a matter of doing a swirl of petals clustered around the end of the vine, but Lailah had a way of doing it had made the piping look effortless and the flowers alive. Lailah said he was improving, but there was a reason that he was still her apprentice. Mikleo didn’t know when his apprenticeship would end, but he was in no hurry to rush it. He enjoyed learning from Lailah, even if he had mastered and created half of the frozen treats on their menu. Lailah called him a virtuoso with ice cream, which had had Mikleo smiling for weeks.

Mikleo leaned back in to start on the flowers. He carefully started the petals of one princessia, working his way through the careful swirl. Mikleo reached out to turn the cake again, working on the two flowers on that part of it.

He settled into a pattern, swirling the pink and lilac frosting into the shape of a princessia to the steady sound of the ice cream churn. It wasn’t the usual background music of the shop, Lailah usually had the radio playing, although it was a toss-up between classical music and pop. Either way it didn’t matter, she would be bouncing around the kitchen humming and singing along to either. Still, that was the rhythm of the morning, this was the rhythm of the patisserie at night. It was quieter, more like peaceful days beside a stream instead of a babbling brook. Mikleo wouldn’t trade either of them, but he couldn’t help but look forward to the nights.

He bit his lip as he finished up the last princessia, stepping back slowly. Some part of him still expected something catastrophic to happen, like the cake falling down or the icing sliding away. But everything stayed, leaving him with a perfect cake that needed to be wheeled into the freezer for the night before the ice cream component of it started to melt. It would stay there until it was time to deliver it to the palace along with everything else.

Mikleo grabbed the handles of the cart, starting to wheel the cake back into the freezer. As he went, he went through the list of things that he and Lailah had been working on all day. The cake was just one of the things that they had been able to prepare fully in advance. The fridges were already filled with different curds and creams to fill the various pastries that had been ordered. Bossche bols, éclairs and macarons in various colors were scattered in various containers around the kitchen. Mikleo swallowed, flashing back to when he had been carefully laying the small, painted Hyland crests onto the éclairs and being terrified that he was going to drop one and have to paint another to make up for it. Still, they were done and he was never going to have to think about them again. At least, not until the next royal birthday came up.

He smiled at the thought, gently nudging the cake into the freezer. He locked the brakes on the cart, giving the cake one last look before walking out of the freezer. He shut it behind him, waiting until the door clicked shut before stretching his arms over his head. Mikleo winced as he heard something in his back crack, but it was immediately followed by a sense of relief. He dropped his hands to his sides, taking a deep breath.

He let it out slowly, waiting until he was done to turn and look back over at the ice cream churn. The steady sound of it working was still going. The sound of the churn wasn’t the thing that caught and held his attention though. It was Sorey’s smile.

It was impossible not to smile back. Mikleo stripped out of his apron, walking over to Sorey as he did. He passed the peg where Lailah’s hung, Mikleo almost absently hanging it there as he went by. His whole focus was on where Sorey was sitting.

Sorey looked completely at ease, which was something that Mikleo was getting more familiar with. It was just like he was getting more used to seeing Sorey in casual clothes than in his formal white and red suit.

Then again, it wouldn’t do to have the prince spotted spending his night churning ice cream in a patisserie. The press would have a field day with it and they would never know peace. It was bad enough with their current stellar reputation, but they didn’t need people standing around and waiting for their chance to spot the prince. Mikleo didn’t want to lose his evenings with Sorey, not when they were the highlight of his day.

Mikleo reached out to pull over a chair, settling it right beside Sorey’s. He tipped his head to the side, listening to the sound of the ice cream. It sounded almost done, but it needed a few more minutes. Sorey probably knew that too. He’d been down in the kitchen churning ice cream every night for months.

Sorey gave him a nod, tipping his head to the side as he listened. Mikleo was more than happy to leave him to it. He tipped over to rest his head on Sorey’s shoulder, closing his eyes. He’d been on his feet since sunrise, working on various things around the kitchen until it had all become a blur. He didn’t even know what time it was, but he didn’t want to ask. Nights in the patisserie were magical in that way. It was just him and Sorey, and time seemed to stop.

Sorey’s shoulder stopped moving under his cheek, Mikleo sighing and lifting his head. He was surprised when Sorey lifted a hand and guided his head back down. “You don’t have to get up.”

“So you’re just going to eat all of that ice cream yourself?”

“I could try.”

“You would be sick to your stomach, and on your sister’s birthday.” Sorey winced, Mikleo grinning at the motion. He wiggled his arm around until he was free to poke Sorey in the side. “And you won’t be able to eat any of what we baked. And _that_ would be a travesty.”

Sorey sighed, Mikleo lifting his head as Sorey went to move. He rocked back upright in his chair, watching as Sorey took the churn over to the counter. He didn’t have to say anything as Sorey opened the churn and started to prepare their bowls. He didn’t even need to tell Sorey where things were, the prince had been around the patisserie enough to know where everything was.

He heard Sorey make an interested noise as he got a good look at the ice cream, Sorey pausing to stare at it. “What flavor is it this time?”

“Summer berries, fresh from the market. And perfect for the season”

“Another demo?”

“Sort of. It’s a rework of an old recipe.”

“Then it’s going to work.”

Mikleo huffed at Sorey’s optimism, but Sorey had never been wrong. Mikleo had learned not to question it.

He sat back in his chair, watching as Sorey brought the bowls over. He took the one that Sorey offered to him, cradling it into his lap. Mikleo didn’t bother to eat it just yet, his attention on Sorey as the prince dug in.

Sorey didn’t get far beyond his first mouthful before he stopped with a soft hum. It could have been a moan if Sorey had taken his spoon out of his mouth. Sorey seemed perfectly happy to savor his spoonful, Mikleo’s gaze drawn to Sorey’s neck. He swallowed, fighting the urge to lean over and nibble. Mikleo focused on his ice cream as a safer alternative.

He took a bite, rolling it around in his mouth as he thought about it. The ice cream needed a bit more of a punch, but Mikleo wasn’t sure which berry to lean more on. He’d have to experiment more with the combinations over the next few days. Lailah would help when she came in tomorrow. They would probably celebrate a job well done with their new ice cream flavor and she would know just what was missing. Mikleo doubted that he would get much from Sorey, because he enjoyed everything that he was given. That wasn’t something to complain about. Mikleo cherished every minute with Sorey.

He swallowed, looking over at Sorey’s bowl. Sorey was still lingering over his first bite, Mikleo smiling to himself. He reached out with his spoon, barely getting halfway before Sorey quickly blocked him. Sorey gave him a serious look before shaking his head. “I’m taste testing.”

“If you take that long on every bite, it’ll all melt.”

“You have to take your time. This is a work of art.”

Mikleo blushed, ducking his head. “It’s not right.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The…flavor balance.” Mikleo swallowed and shook his head. “I can’t describe it.”

“Then keep eating until you do.” Sorey leaned into him, pressing their shoulders together. It was impossible not to lean back into him. Sorey was a bright spot in the world, and Mikleo was sure that everyone knew that. Every time the prince and princess went out in public they drew crowds. It was impossible not to be pulled in by them.

It was how Sorey had ended up in the back of the kitchen after all. One didn’t say no to royalty, especially one who had mastered the hang-dog look. But he was honest, very helpful in testing new flavors, and very talented at kissing.

Mikleo blushed red at the thought, freezing when Sorey leaned over to kiss his cheek. Mikleo watched Sorey out of the corner of his eye before turning his head to meet Sorey’s lips. Sorey hummed and leaned in closer. Mikleo felt Sorey’s hand slide into his lap, staying still as Sorey lifted his bowl away. There was a distant clink, Mikleo guessing that Sorey had set their bowls safely aside, but he didn’t dare stop to check.

His eyes fluttered shut as Sorey scooted closer, Sorey’s hand coming up to cup his cheek. Mikleo sighed into the kiss, tasting the ice cream as Sorey’s tongue moved against his own. He was sure that it tasted better like this, but he might be biased.

He hummed as Sorey pulled away, opening his eyes slowly as he savored the moment. Sorey looked like he wanted to dive back in, and Mikleo was not about to talk him out of it. He would only draw the line if they started pushing more. The kitchen had to be kept sanitary to a certain degree. Besides, it was all hard surfaces and Sorey could get vigorous.

Mikleo tucked himself against Sorey, holding out his hand. Sorey was quick to return his ice cream bowl to him, Mikleo cradling it carefully in his hands.

The palace was bound to be busy with the celebration preparations that were going on and it was a good distance away. Sorey might know every secret passage in the city, but he doubted that they would be able to sneak anywhere tonight. His own apartment would be closer and far away from all the hubbub. It would just be him and Sorey, with no one to disturb them. It was a very tempting idea, and one that he would act on as soon as they were done with their ice cream. There was no need to rush things, not when the end result would turn out to be just as sweeter for the waiting.

Mikleo smiled and took another bite of his ice cream. He took the time to savor it, turning over what he needed to add before he gave up. It was nicer to just eat the ice cream and enjoy the quiet sounds of the patisserie at night and the comfortable warmth of Sorey against his side.


End file.
